Glossary

Inclusive education - individualized services and supports follow the student

 

Paraeducator - school personnel who provide instructional or direct services to students and who are supervised by certified special education personnel (aka instructional assistant, teacher aide, paraprofessional)

 

Cooperative or Co-teaching teams - general education teacher and special education teacher are paired to plan and teach together students with and without disabilities in the general education class

 

Itinerant or Consulting Teacher - a special education teacher who assists with a number of general education teachers on a consultative basis on implementation the individual education plans (IEPs) of students with disabilities in their general education classrooms

 

Peer Tutoring or Peer Supports - teachers teach students how to work in pairs or small cooperative groups with a strong emphasis on building social skills. Teachers also instruct students on how to: review information; ask questions of each other; and provide immediate error correction to each other

 

Social Individual Education Plan (IEP) Objectives - goals and objectives that focus on learning from and functioning in different social environments (e.g., initiating to peers, managing anger, asking questions)

 

Physical Individual Education Plan (IEP) Objectives - goals and objectives that focus on learning from and functioning in different physical environments (e.g., tolerating large spaces for longer periods of time, using hand to operative assistive device to respond to questions)

 

Academic Individual Education Plan (IEP) Objectives - goals and objectives (all, modified or selective) that focus on accessing the general education curriculum (e.g., mastering all the sixth grade science objectives using highlighted text and extended time for assignments and tests, mastering the most essential science objectives with modifications, mastering alternative sixth grade science objectives with the same theme)

 

Developmental Disability - a severe, chronic disability of an individual age five or older that is attributable to a mental or physical impairment or combination of mental and physical impairments; is manifested before the individual attains age 22; is likely to continue indefinitely and results in substantial functional limitations in three or more areas of major life activities (self care, receptive and expressive language, learning, mobility, self-direction, capacity for independent living, economic self-sufficiency) and reflects the individual's need for a sequence of special, interdisciplinary services, or other individually planned assistance on a lifelong or extended basis. Developmental disabilities include: mental retardation, developmental delay (ages birth to 6), cerebral palsy, epilepsy, autism, and other neurological conditions similar to mental retardation

 

General education class - where students with disabilities are taught by a general education teacher with peers without disabilities

 

Learning centers - where students with disabilities go from the general education classroom to receive additional assistance on classwork and test taking

 

Resource class - where students with disabilities receive more than 21 percent and less than 60 percent of special education and related services with part-time instruction in a general education classroom

 

Self-contained classrooms - where students with disabilities receive more than 60 percent of special education and related services outside the general education classroom